The Grub Spouse was the first to try Wild Eggs while visiting a friend out of state recently. From that moment on, The Spouse urged me to fast-track a visit to the Knoxville location of the breakfast chain for Grubbing purposes. With franchises like First Watch and The Egg & I (later absorbed by First Watch) already in place locally, I was skeptical that the area needed another such competitor, but I obliged The Spouse’s request and worked Wild Eggs into a midday meal one recent weekday.

The first thing I noticed about Wild Eggs’ Western Plaza location was its bright interior color palette, walls awash with orange and yellow and menu art that might as easily have done double duty as the cover for a kids Easter program.

After showing us to a booth, our server cleared extraneous place settings (always a nice touch), handed us menus and took drink orders. We did not imbibe that day, but it’s worth noting that Wild Eggs has an espresso bar, alcohol-embellished coffees and a decent selection of brunchy cocktails like mimosas and bloody marys.

For those who like a sweet breakfast, Wild Eggs offers several variations on pancakes, crepes, French toast and waffles. The Spouse, who always appreciates a syrupy meal, ordered the stuffed French toast, made with sourdough bread filled with sweetened cream cheese and topped with blueberries, strawberries, powdered sugar, cinnamon and whipped cream ($9.99).

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New breakfast restaurant Wild Eggs opens in Western Plaza on Kingston Pike.

Wild Eggs’ egg-centric dishes include a trio of omelets — Creole, Buffalo chicken and Western recipes — or you can build your own, choosing from more than two dozen meats, cheeses and veggies. The main section of the menu has a baker’s dozen breakfast dishes, many of which are Tex-Mex influenced. Items that caught my eye included the Jimmy the Greek Frittata, Chili Verde Huevos Rancheros and the Crabby Patty Bennie, made with lump crab cakes.

The Hen House category offers country-fried steak and eggs as well as corned beef hash, while Bonnie’s Bennies features four different eggs Benedict recipes. From that selection, I ordered the Lox and Bagel Bennie — smoked salmon, poached eggs and cream cheese on a toasted mini bagel, topped with fresh hollandaise sauce, capers, chopped onion and diced tomato ($12.99).

For the record, Wild Eggs serves lunch dishes as well, including a triple-cheese grilled cheese, taco salad, a veggie burger and the Batman and Reuben sandwich. Those come with a choice of fries, chips or skillet potatoes.

I was really pleased with both our orders. The Spouse’s French toast was right on the mark with its balance of sourdough flavor, fresh fruit and sweetish cream cheese. It was totally enjoyable on its own; only the most ardent of sweet teeth would want to top this creation with Wild Eggs’ 100 percent pure Vermont maple syrup.

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Big thumbs-up on my Bennie as well. The crusty mini bagel was almost a buried afterthought thanks to the savory lox and cream cheese duo and the rich deliciousness of the hollandaise sauce. The capers, onion and finely diced tomatoes were the perfect complement to an otherwise hearty breakfast. Bennies come with a choice of skillet potatoes, plain grits or grits of the day, and I got that day's gritty dish — cheesy grits that were satisfying and studded with real bacon pieces.

On top of all that, our server was really top-notch — friendly, knowledgeable and sharp when it came to anticipating our needs. As a result, when it comes to picking a go-to breakfast spot in Knoxville, for the foreseeable future, I’m putting all my eggs in this basket.